Jill Pole blinked a few times. "What?"

Eustace could hear his heart pound from his chest, so much so that he was worried Jill might hear it as well. The nervous boy looked down and clenched his fist, feeling his sweaty palms. He didn't need to see Jill to know she kept her eyes on him – eyes which were filled with confusion, he assumed.

Jill paused for a brief moment, waiting for Eustace to say something more. When she was convinced he wouldn't elaborate, she decided to break the silence. "The clouds," she began (which startled Eustace), "are beautiful, you say?"

Eustace nodded, which he soon regretted when Jill's attention went from him to the clouds above.

So much for telling her the truth.

Eustace didn't know how it came to this. He was about to tell her, but something inside him stopped him. Fear, anxiety, and every other emotion came surging in. It was overwhelming. So when he opened his mouth, he ended up saying, "The c-clouds are beautiful today, P-Pole!"

He looked away for a moment, frustration building up inside him. Why does he have to do this anyway? He was never really good with these kinds of things. He was contented with just being with her and looking at her from afar. She never had to know and he never had to risk losing her.

But in that moment of contemplation he knew he was lying to himself. Of course telling her the truth crossed his mind a thousand times, and he did want to confess a long time ago. He wanted to let Jill know how special she was to him. He wanted to tell her how he really feels for her.

But he wasn't ready to tell her now.

"You will never be ready," Eustace heard Edmund's voice in his mind. "You will always be afraid. You will always be terrified to tell her the truth."

An image of an older man haunted Eustace. He remembered Edmund's piercing eyes when he told him his thoughts. "But that's just how the way things are," Edmund stressed that time, looking at Eustace like how a king would look at his soldier – and in that moment, Eustace thought he would never see daylight again. "You can't always hide in the shadows, Eustace. You have to tell her."

Eustace shook his head, cleared his throat, and looked up, determined to voice out the words that lingered inside him for a long time. He stopped short, though, at the sight he saw.

Jill still kept her gaze at the sky, her eyes glistened with fascination and content. "You know what, Scrubb? They really are." Her voice was filled with awe. She smiled at Eustace and took him by the hand. "I still don't want to go home. Let's just stay here for a while and watch the clouds."

Eustace flushed when she felt Jill's hand on his.

"I think I saw a funny-shaped cloud!" she exclaimed.

But he didn't hear her. Eustace was lost in the moment.


When Edmund saw Eustace again, he immediately asked, "How did it go?"

Eustace felt reluctant to open his mouth. "She thinks so too," he stammered, trying to avoid the older man's gaze.

Edmund's eyes widen, anticipation forming inside him. "You mean, she feels the same way?" he ventured.

"Yes," Eustace said, embarrassed. "She thinks the clouds are beautiful too."

Edmund sighed in frustration and defeat, looking at his cousin with an arch brow.

"Well, you told me to tell her that," the younger lad justified himself.


A/N: I just felt like writing a sequel for "Why Don't You Just Tell Her." This is how I pictured Eustace telling the truth to Jill. I just couldn't get over this ship. :) Hope you guys liked it. :)